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I wonder how the failure of Solyndra fits into this thesis.

• jfager 15y ago
  Solyndra failed because its secret-sauce technology couldn't get cheap enough fast enough compared to the plummeting cost of photovoltaics. So it fits pretty well.
  • spenrose 15y ago
    We've only heard of Solyndra b/c the big-oil/big-coal GOP needed a talking point. Solyndra is what they came up with.
    • jfager 15y ago
      That's only true for people who don't follow the solar industry. They got their loan in March 2009 (http://cleantechnica.com/2009/03/21/fremonts-solyndra-wins-first-doe-funding/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/03/21/fremonts-solyndra-wins-f...), filed for IPO in December (http://gigaom.com/cleantech/solar-tube-maker-solyndra-files-for-potential-300m-ipo/ http://gigaom.com/cleantech/solar-tube-maker-solyndra-files-...) and cancelled it in June 2010 (http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solyndra-ipo-cancelled http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solyndra-ipo-can...), and all three events were relatively well-covered.
• joeag 15y ago
  Solyndra's tech didn't use polysilicone. Which was great when polysilicone prices were high. When the prices went down, the vast majority of panels that used polysilicone got much cheaper and Solyndra couldn't compete. Solyndra's circular tube technology also was problematic because it was designed to work with reflected light from the rooftop and in real world conditions when the roof got dirty you lost a lot of reflected light. So really, it doesn't.